


Magitek Blood

by hiekkis



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2018-10-08 10:31:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10384692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiekkis/pseuds/hiekkis
Summary: After a nearly successful terrorist attack at the crown prince of Lucis, the chocobros try to find out who was behind it. The list of potential suspects gets shorter and shorter while Prompto and Ignis slowly discover their feelings for each other. Set in Insomnia before game events.Warning for a super slow build.Rating will go up eventually and more tags will be added with future chapters. Starts with light humour, will get darker soon.





	1. Be careful what you wish for

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first published fanfic and I'm super nervous. This was betaed by [S4MUI](http://archiveofourown.org/users/S4MUI/pseuds/S4MUI) to whom goes every credit for legibility. All mistakes are mine. English is not my native language, so please bear with me.

Prompto POV

“Hey Noct, you should totally try to get that job!” Prompto was laughing and pointing a wanted poster in Crow’s nest’s window. Apparently, they were short staffed and now one could get a job as a short – term cook. The boys were busy stuffing their faces with burgers and fries and Prompto was enjoying his first burger in over a year. “Mmm… Sweet Shiva this is good!” 

“I thought we were hunting a job for you.” Noct replied while fishing the tomato out of his burger. He hated them, yet always forgot to ask his burgers made without vegetables. He was hungry after a morning training with Gladio. He had forgotten to eat breakfast as Gladio had made him to start their drills by dawn. Noctis didn’t think that just because the sun was up, he should be too. Gladio hadn’t agreed. 

“I don’t think that this would be it.” Silently Promto thought that ‘I’d just eat so much I wouldn’t have any free time after running all this away.’ Noctis didn’t need any reminders of the way he had been in the middle school. He tried to forget it himself. “I was thinking I could get a part time job at some photography joint.”

“Work with photos to get into a photography course? I know you’re good but won’t they expect you to have that course before you apply?” 

Prompto gave a sheepish laugh and scratched his neck. “I can hope. Though you might be right for once. Maybe I should try something else first. I just need the money to pay for the course.”

“Won’t your parents help you with that?”

“Not this time”, Prompto said gloomily while dipping fries in ketchup. “Dad doesn’t think I’m good enough to make career out of this. He says it’s a good hobby, but I should study finances or politic stuff. You know, follow his footsteps and all that jazz.” Part of him knew that it was selfish of him to complain about this to Noct. The prince had even less choices than him when it came to their futures. But he would also understand the pressure.

“I hear you bro.” Noct said softly. 

“’Cause I don’t want to get in to politics. You know I would never try to use you like that.”

“Has he tried to get you in?” Noct’s voice was cautious. This was news. When they had first started to hang out together Ignis had run a back-ground check on his new friend. Prompto was the son of Celes and Velox Argentum, immigrants from Tenebrae from time before invasion. Now owners of several electronics-retail shops. No political affiliations to speak of, not to mention that Prompto had never ever given the slightest hint of interest towards that. 

“Not directly. He has hinted at that way, that I should ‘use my new connections to network’ whatever that means.” The blond boy waved his hand still holding a ketchup-covered potato and imitated his father’s voice. Noctis chuckled but his laugh turned into a wordless warning just a second before the fry connected with a waitress who had somehow materialized right next to them. She was not amused.

“Please don’t network with my shirt.” An unfamiliar, chilly female voice reached their ears. Prompto had frozen when he felt his hand touching something curvy, soft and warm. He turned his head slowly and saw that the back of his right hand was between waitress’s breasts. Also, that the waitress was a pretty young brunette woman, who for the moment had dropped her customer servicing smile. She slapped his hand away as he seemed not to be able to move it by himself. Her green t-shirt still sported a red stain, marking the place he had accidentally touched. 

Noctis was covering his mouth with his hand, trying not to laugh aloud. His heaving shoulders gave him away. 

“I- I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to… Here!” sputtering incoherent half sentences, the blonde took some paper napkins and made a move to press them against the stain before he thought better of it, offering them weakly to the brunette lady. His face was starting to imitate the color of the accursed tomato sauce. “I wasn’t trying to… I would never! I mean I would, you’re beautiful! But I swear… It was an accident! Honest to six!” Prompto was flailing before he ground to halt, hoping that Ramuh would strike him down where he sat and save him from this humiliation. Noctis was shaking harder with silent laughter, tears spilling from his eyes.

“I take it you don’t need a refill for your sodas?” She had apparently found her shaken balance and was back to the perfectly polite waitress-mode. 

“No thanks. But he needs a job. You wanted more staff, right?” Prompto pointed at the still laughing prince who managed to sober almost instantly when the attention shifted to him. The brunette raised her eyebrow while scanning them both up and down with her eyes, appraising them. 

“I’ll go get the manager.” she promised and left them.

“What are you doing?” Noctis hissed at his best friend who could only shrug. 

“I panicked okay? First thing I could think of.” Blondie ran both of his hands through his already messy hair.

“If that is the first thing that comes to your mind after you accidentally grope a waitress I don’t even want to know what you’re usually thinking.” Groaning Prompto buried his face back into his hands and the prince couldn’t stay mad at him any longer, choosing to tease him instead. “Seriously man you’re such a smooth talker. ‘I mean I would, you’re beautiful.’ How do you come up with that stuff? No wonder you’re such a lady-killer.” 

“Shut up.” Prompto muttered still hiding his flushed face. 

“Now I get why no one can resist you.” Noctis was smirking. “Can’t wait to tell Gladio and specs, they’ll laugh themselves sick!”

“Don’t you dare! Gladio will never let me live this down if he’ll get to know.”

“So, it’s cool if I tell Iggy then?”

“NO!”

“Come on, Specs needs a laugh.” Noctis was just teasing his friend, he wouldn’t tell but it was fun seeing him so flustered. 

“You’re an ass.”

“Says the guy looking like a chocobo’s butt. I’m hurt.” 

“You’re a shitty best friend.” Prompto muttered, still not looking at the prince. Something in his voice caught Noctis’s attention and he already had his mouth open to say something, to calm Prompto down, when he noticed the manager approaching them. 

The manager, Jeff, was a short man with a sand brown hair. First, he accepted another apology from Prompto for accidentally harassing his staff member and then told both of them to come back the next day bright and early by eight a.m. sharp. He would teach them both the basics of what they needed to know and see how they handled themselves during lunch-hours. Apparently, they were so short staffed that he just assumed they both wanted to work there. Noctis would learn the ropes in the kitchen and Prompto would wait tables. Jeff wouldn’t let someone clumsy like Prompto anywhere near boiling-hot oil.


	2. Telling Iggy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long! I've had this half finished for weeks now before I finally got around to finishing it. As always, S4MUI was a wonderfull beta who helped me out with this.

Ignis POV

Ignis came to Noct’s apartment. He had some reports that needed his highness’s attention during this week. In other words, he had summaries of reports and meetings the advisor had attended in Noctis’s absence. They weren’t urgent, but Ignis felt that Noct ought to stay on top of things in politics, especially now that he had finally graduated from high school. 

He had feared that he would find the apartment empty and dark but was pleasantly surprised when his polite knock was answered with footsteps and opening door. He was not however, prepared to see grinning Prompto. He could feel his heart skipping a beat when faced with a sudden, brilliant smile. 

“Iggy!”

“Good evening Prompto. Is his highness in here?” Voice smooth and even, not a hitch to betray his surprise. 

“Specs, come in!” Noctis’s voice came from the living room with some background music the royal advisor recognized as belonging to one of Noct’s videogames. 

Ignis changed in to slippers and went finally inside, passing a folder to Noctis who laid on the sofa feet up and eyes on the TV-screen. “Highness, your reports.” He wouldn’t press Noctis to actually go to these meetings this time, not with Prompto present. That old argument could wait for another day. 

“Thanks. I’ll read them later.” 

“You won’t believe what happened today.” Prompto declared beaming at Ignis. 

“I’ll hold my incredulity in check until you finish telling me.” Ignis promised, lifting his glasses, hiding a small smile behind his hand. Prompto was like an eager puppy like this, way too adorable. Uncertain for a moment before deducing that Ignis had indeed just shown his peculiar sense of humor. Most people couldn’t tell when Ignis was joking unless he was using puns. Noctis and Gladio had known him long enough to recognize his dry sarcasm but usually it passed by without comments. Prompto was catching on faster than usual, considering that they hadn’t spent too much time with each other this far. Before the end of their high school, their longest meetings had been when Ignis was driving somewhere and giving the boys a ride somewhere. That hadn’t been very often as Noctis had wanted to separate his leisure time with Prompto from his duties with Ignis. Only after graduation they had started to spend more and more of their time in the luxurious penthouse, resulting in to more chance meetings like these. 

“We got ourselves jobs.” 

“I beg your pardon?” Ignis was sure he couldn’t have heard Prompto’s words correctly. He stared first at the blonde, then at the still playing prince. “You did what?”

“We, uh, we were at Crow’s nest today. And they, uh, had a sign that they wanted to hire people.” Under Ignis’s scrutinizing stare, Prompto seemed to lose some of his earlier buoyancy. 

“I wasn’t aware that both of you were looking for more things to occupy yourselves with.” This remark was pointed more to Noct, who couldn’t have cared less it seemed.

“It was because I, uh, you see… I was looking for a job. Because I want to get in to this photography course.” Prompto was looking imploringly at Noctis to back him up. The prince finally paused the game. 

“Specks, you’ve said earlier that I need to get to know what happens. That’s why you bring me these reports. This is just one way to see how ordinary people live and work.” Noct’s voice was firm, like he had actually thought this through instead of just winging excuses afterwards. “Like with school.”

“You were supposed to take more active role in the government now that you have finished your schooling.” Ignis still argued. He had fought to let the prince enjoy his freedom and privacy during his school days. Not that Noctis knew. Not everyone had liked the idea of the crown prince living alone and socializing with common people like Prompto. 

“Take it easy Specks. It’s a part-time job, not a permanent career choice. I’ll see how long it lasts. Maybe Jeff will fire me the first day after he tastes my cooking.” That made Ignis pause and do a mental replay of their conversation. 

“You will work as a cook then?” A small smile was tugging the corner of his mouth, despite his annoyance. “Bahamuth save the poor man and his customers.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Noct muttered turning back to his game. 

“What name have you told them? Does he know he has just hired the future ruler of our kingdom?”

“Umm no.” Prompto got back into conversation, having stayed silent when it looked like it would turn into a fight. “They’re hiring me and a boy called Noct Gar.”

“I’ll see what I can do to get Noct a fake ID. I should have it ready by at the end of the week.” Ignis turned around to get a plate from kitchen. He had brought his latest attempt at baking with him. He heard a half-whispered comment from Prompto at how he should have tried to get a fake ID from Ignis back when they were minors. They could have gone clubbing so much earlier. He also heard Noct’s answer how it would have been a cold day in hell if they had managed that. He let a full smile spread over his lips while he rummaged the cupboards in his quest for finding a certain serving platter. 

“Prompto, are you familiar with this pastry? Your parents are from Tenebrae as I understand.” Ignis said when he came back with a plate full of fluffy pastries. 

“They are but neither of them cooks or bakes like ever. So, I first tasted these when Noct here brought some to school. They’re really something!” Blondie beamed at him and Ignis felt another jolt in his stomach. How could the blonde be so…? He found himself at a loss for words, a rarity for him. 

It had been like this since the beginning of the summer. Prompto would say something or do something and he felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. He couldn’t breathe and he saw nothing else in the room save for that smile. He lifted his glasses to hide his sudden embarrassment. For a man who always prided himself on being always prepared to everything, he was woefully ill prepared when it became to his own feelings. He didn’t have time for a crush, nor could he afford to get distracted from his duties. He had long ago decided to dedicate his life only for his work. He had thought he was over this kind of teenage behavior. Over these distracting, unnecessary feelings. He had indulged them long enough in his earlier days, when he had had time for such trivialities. 

"Thank you for that kind assessment Prompto."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is almost ready, so it won't take nearly as long.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S4MUI betaed this for me, but then I did a lot of rewriting as I wasn't happy with this. All mistakes are mine.

Promto PoV 

Prompto was smiling at the coffee machine while watching how the murky liquid slowly dripped to the glass pot. He had made Ignis stay after dinner with promises of coffee and conversation. He rarely knew what to say to the advisor and he was convinced that his coffee wouldn’t compare with Ignis’s divine drink, but at least he could make something that wouldn’t poison anyone. While he was making coffee, and making sure the coffee maker didn’t go up in flames, he kept stealing glances of Ignis washing dishes. Especially of his ungloved hands. He could watch those hands for hours, if he could only do so without being caught staring. 

Noctis had taken care of the conversation part with ignis. He didn't seem to mind his advisors company, and told him heavily edited version of their job interview earlier with Prompto giving him desperate glances and sometimes even waving his hands in negation or warning for the prince to steer clear from the subject. Ignis never noticed or was too polite to point it out. It was one of the reasons Prompto liked him so much. He was always so tactful. So out of his league. 

Noctis actually begun to read his reports while Ignis did some light cleaning, and Prompto finished a quest in King's Knight. He had no idea how the game was going, but he needed anything to distract himself from staring at Ignis now that Noctis was no longer keeping the conversation going and Prompto’s voice had withered away under the intense scrutiny of bespectacled green eyes. When Prompto heard a flutter of falling paper he turned to look at his best friend and saw he had fallen asleep. Hardly surprising. He smiled as he watched the steady rise and fall of Noct’s chest. One of the sheets was still on his face and its corner fluttered with every breath. 

"Highness, is there something else... ah." Ignis had come back and noticed his sleeping charge. 

"I guess he needed a power nap. Those reports must be heavy reading." Prompto tried to joke. "I mean, it's hard enough when trying to manage normal problems like mine. Adding all these to the mix would make my head burst! I dunno how you manage it all."

Ignis gave a low chuckle. "I admit, I sometimes feel like that too. Like my head is too full of all the problems and clues how to solve them, but it's just too cramped in there for anything to work properly." Ignis pressed his hand to his forehead as if to feel for a lingering head ache. 

"Is it hurting badly?" The words slipped from his mouth before his brain could intercept them. 

"Not so much after the coffee." Ignis let his hand drop from his forehead. 

"If you... I mean... If you wouldn't mind I could maybe… ease it for you?"

"What?" Ignis lifted his glasses and covered the lower half of his face so Prompto couldn't see his expression. He only heard a mild surprise in his voice. 

"I could massage your shoulders." Prompto offered quickly before he could back down and fought a blush creeping to face. Not now. Ignis was looking at him with those inscrutable eyes and would surely notice. Instead, he continued his babble. "I mean if you're stressed and your head hurts, maybe it's partly because you could have a stiff neck or something. I always had a head ache when we had exams and stuff. It helped when my mom would sometimes give me a little massage."

"Well then, I accept your gracious offer."

"Great! Um, maybe you should, dunno, sit down?" Prompto made vague gestures towards the table and chairs. His palms were already sweating with just a thought of actually touching the man he had been head over heels for what felt like ages. And now he would be touching him. They had never touched before, even if Prompto was that type of person who casually touched his friends without thinking too much about it. Ignis had always been an exception to that rule, as the young advisor exuded an air of immunity and distance. 

_'Get it together Prompto!'_ he furiously thought to himself. _'It's just a friendly massage. Nothing romantic or sexual at all. You just help to relieve some tension but not in a sexy way. Even if you were totally down for it and have fantasized on going down on him for more than once and stop thinking like that! Bad thoughts! Just keep your hands steady and your mind out of the gutter. And don't think about every place you want to touch and see if it feels like in that dream last night. I totally thought it! I'm so fucking doomed!!!'_

"Prompto?" Ignis was sitting in a chair facing kitchen. He had opened his button up shirt enough to shrug the collar down to bare his neck and shoulders. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah." His voice sounded strange and strained in his own ears, but maybe, just maybe the six were merciful and Ignis would miss the weirdness in his voice. "You just sit straight, all right?"  
_'I'd never thought that I'd ever tell him to do anything straight. So much time I've spent hoping he is anything but. Fuck it Prompto, stop putting weird innuendos to everything. Just concentrate on what you're doing.'_

Carefully he laid his hands on bare shoulders before him. His own hands were hot and sweaty against the cool skin. Beautifully chiseled muscles underneath were tense under his hands when he begun the massage.

"Huh, no kidding, you are tense. You could crack an egg against these and I don't mean it like Gladio does to show off. No wonder your head aches." He could feel Ignis slowly relaxing into the contact and to distract himself he just said whatever came to his mind. Mindless chatter to fill up the uncomfortable silence. 

"Unfortunately, I've gotten so used to it that most days I won’t even notice. Working out usually helps during those days I do. My routine includes a lot of stretching." 

"You don't get your muscles like this doing nothing." Admiration slipped thought his lips before his panicky brain could intervene. Heat blossomed on his face when he realized what he had said. He was an idiot!

"Prompto Argentum, are you complimenting me?" Ignis turned around to see him blush like crazy. 

"I - uh - mm." He couldn't say anything. Ignis chuckled again softly, but graciously let it slide without another comment. "Let's talk about something." Prompto hurried to change the topic. 

"Certainly, if you wish it. May I ask something rather personal?" Ignis inquired hesitantly. 

"Yeah, no problem." Anything to change the subject really. 

"Why did you go looking for employment with Noctis? I'm under impression that your father owns several electronics shops. Why not just work there, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Not at all. It's just that thigs are... complicated between my dad and me right now. We don't always get along too well." Prompto didn't often talk about his family with others than Noctis. And the prince didn't ask often. 

“How is that?” Ignis glanced behind his shoulder before facing forward somewhat reluctantly when Prompto got back to the task at hand, massaging those sore muscles under his palms. 

"You know that my father owns Argentum Electronics already. He has worked so hard to build it and to make it grow into something. He worked so hard. But that meant he was almost never at home and neither was my mother." His hands slowed down without him noticing. Ignis listened silently. "So we were never really close or anything. And when I was little, I didn't have many friends or anything, neither am I too smart. Best I could do in school were B's and not many of them either. My dad is so smart and I felt like he was always disappointed in me." He usually never talked about these things but Ignis had asked. And it was somehow easier to speak to Ignis when those piercing green eyes were not examining him.

"One would think that your artistic gift would have been appreciated."

"Yeah, one would. But dad thinks that most art is pretty useless and by extension so are artist. I was allowed to join photography club back in middle school, just because my parents couldn't agree between science and sport club. My mom was very athletic. She would have totally gotten along with Gladio."

"Gotten? Why the past tense?" Ignis turned around again to watch him. His eyebrows had a slight crease between them. Prompto didn’t look him in the eye, but turned away to speak to the advisor’s left shoulder. He found speaking so much easier when he avoided that green gaze. 

"She got in to an accident at work when I was in middle school. She was in Tenebrae and a building she was in was attacked by daemons. She wasn’t one of the survivors.” He was proud that his voice didn’t hitch. 

"I'm sorry to bring up something upsetting. I assure you, I wouldn’t have pried had I known." Refined voice was apologetic, but thankfully there was no pity in it. 

"It's okay. It's just been a long time. And I don't talk much about her. Dad never wants to and I've forgotten a lot.” Ignis gave a thoughtful hum and faced forward again. Silence fell around them with the only sounds being the humming of the fridge and deep breathing of the sleeping prince on the sofa. It was a long while before Prompto broke the silence. 

“What about your parents?” He tried desperately to change the subject to something more cheerful. 

“Both of my parents have passed away. I live with your uncle here in Insomnia” So much for cheering up. Ignis continued with a flat voice. “My home town has been run over by Nifelheim, like so many others. Mine is not an unusual tale, save for the lucky part of having an uncle working within citadel. He had already taken me under his wing, as they say. I was very lucky to have been selected as a companion and future advisor to Noctis."

"Sounds tough. How old were you?"

"I was six at the time."

"They decided your future for you when you were six? What did they do, tell you to make friends with a toddler?" Prompto was dumbfounded. Sure, Noct had said that he had known Ignis for his entire life, but he hadn’t exactly expected this. 

"After rigorous testing, basically yes. I was raised to be his friend as well as his aide. Some might say that I didn't have much of a choice, but later I realized that I had a choice every day of my life since then. Every day I chose to stay by his side." Ouch, sounded like Iggy had had too many conversations about the topic. His voice was stern and his shoulders tensed as he spoke. He tried desperately to take it back to lighter subjects with his usual tactic: a joke at his own expense. 

"Well, um, I'm glad you like your job so much. Even if it brings you to meet weirdos like me."

"You have been a pleasant weirdo to meet." And suddenly Prompto was very glad that Ignis was not facing him as the blush came back worse than ever before. He couldn’t believe his ears!

"Ignis Scientia, are you complimenting me?" He asked mirroring their earlier conversation. 

"I believe I am.” Ignis didn’t sound at all embarrassed, but Prompto noticed the warmth creeping under his hands when he touched the advisor’s neck. He laughed aloud. 

“Keep praising me like that and it will go to my head.” He said and concentrated all his energy into massaging. The heel of his hand found a new knot of muscles near the spine. 

“I’ll keep that in mind. Oh~!”  
To his surprise, usually stoic man under his hands let out a soft moan, his lips forming an O. A moan, very much like he had imagined in his frequent fantasies, expect this one was real, and here, and now, and he was making it happen with just his hands and a gentle massage.  
_Holy shit holy shit holy shit!_ Prompto couldn't believe his ears or his eyes. He had literally never ever heard anyone making a noise like that in real life. His imagination ran wild. He would continue with the massage and make Ignis feel so good he’d keep making those delicious moans. he’d lean over and kiss Ignis and Ignis would pull him close and slide those hands under his clothes. He had frozen, his hands still at the advisor’s spine. The moment was stretching on, he didn’t dare to move or speak to break the awkward silence. 

Ignis stood up suddenly, pulling his shirt back on and decidedly not looking him in the eyes. 

“Thank you for the massage Prompto. I fear I must be going. There is still much work to be done tonight.” And without another word or even a glance towards him, the advisor left the pent house. Prompto was so upset he couldn't even say anything, his tongue felt like it had suddenly turned in to lead and the door just clicked shut behind Ignis and he hadn't apologized or anything. 

The noise of the closing door woke Noctis up. The prince stretched and yawned.  
“Dude, I had the weirdest dream about you and Specks flirting and having sex in my kitchen.”

Prompto tried to laugh yet he felt like crying suddenly, He didn't know how or why, but somehow it was his fault. Ignis had fled. And it was because he was stupid and couldn't keep his horny hands to himself.

He had wanted to just offer a platonic shoulder rub, like he would have offered to Noct if the prince had ever let anyone touch his back. He didn't and Prom never pressed. But he had offered for Ignis and now his ulterior motives were rewarded with the knowledge he had ruined everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long! I've been thinking if I should just scrap this project. Like the description spoils, there will be some terrorism as a plot device, and I'm still apprehensive if I have any right to use it as such, given the current state of the world. On the other hand, I'm not arrogant enough to presume that my little rarepair fic has any effect on people. Just, please don't hate me for the chapters to come. 
> 
> I know that Ignis getting a massage is a famous trope. If you like it, you should totally check out Deniera's [Unwind](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10400682) and [Professional Ethics for the Freelance Massage Therapist](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10910175) by edibleflowers.
> 
> Please tell me your thoughts on this chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me what you think! Kudos and comments make me cry with happiness. You can always come and chat with me in my tumblr https://hiekkis.tumblr.com/


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